Topaz
by Lil' Fizz
Summary: Story 6. Who would have thought that the guy stealing chocolate bars from the shop would matter so much to Jasmine? But as Constantine's son, their friendship is a dangerous business. Head-strong Jasmine won't let anyone hold her back or tell her what to do, but is that just asking for trouble? Rated T for stuff I won't spoil in later chapters
1. The Guy in the Shop

**Hey all, I was sitting in a boring old French lesson, when suddenly I was struck with an awesome idea. I'd always wanted to use the name Topaz for a fierce and cocky frog, a friend of Jasmine. And before I knew it, Topaz became a very close relation to someone you know. Complications ensue.**

**BTW, this story is from the p.o.v. of Jasmine. Jasmine is awesome.**

I had no idea that a visit to the sweet shop would be so eventful.

I was bored and hungry and the mayhem of the Muppet Theatre was getting me down.

So I asked my dad for some money and headed down the road.

My name's Jasmine, by the way, and I'm the youngest child of Kermit the Frog.

Once I was inside the shop, I pondered about, searching for something. It was a huge place; I snuck into an intimate part of the shop, where the shopkeeper couldn't see me. There was another young frog there, dark green in colour with a scar under one eye. He looked about my age. I didn't take much notice of him at first, but when I glanced over in his direction, I saw him tucking chocolate bars down his jacket sleeve.

He was a thief!

In an instant, I seized him by the neck and shoved him against the wall behind us

"What the heck are you doing?!" The boy demanded. He had a thick Russian accent.

"Shh!" I insisted in a whisper. "Now put it back."

"Put what back?" he asked in fake innocence.

"Don't give me that! Now if you give me the chocolate back, I won't say a word, but if you don't…things might get messy."

"Alright."

He flicked his sleeve and the chocolate came shooting out. I just about managed to grab it.

"Who are you anyway? A child spy? A police officer?" he asked.

"No, I'm just a kid looking out for trouble-makers like _you_." I announced. "The name's Jasmine."

"Topaz," the boy said. He looked around. "Let's get out of here. Don't worry, I won't nick anything else."

So I had become friends with a thief. Would he lead me astray? I'd like to see him try!

I was the toughest girl I knew, and if he tried to get me to do anything morally wrong, I'd give him a great kick.

I was still wary, but I felt like I trusted Topaz, he seemed alright, if a little self-confident.


	2. Tell Me Your Life Story

"Alright spill," I said. "Why were you stealing chocolate bars from the sweet shop?"

Topaz and I were outside the shop, just walking along the road.

"Are you homeless, is that it? Do I have to pretend to feel sorry for you and give you my spare change?"

"I might be," Topaz said. "Don't give me your money though, we're friends now, and it would look patronizing."

My face dropped. Was Topaz really homeless? I was joking earlier, but I could see I'd been kind of insensitive.

"Really?" I said. "Where are your parents?"

"They're…away."

"Dead?"

"No," Topaz stated immediately. "But as good as."

I blinked. "What?"

Topaz shook his head. "Nothing, why does it matter?"

"Topaz, we're friends now, please tell me."

"You'll look down on me."

"I won't," I said. "I promise."

"Well, my Papa's doing time in the slammer."

"He's a criminal?"

"Just like me."

"But he does serious crimes?"

"You bet. Robbery, blowing stuff up for effect, he even killed someone once."

"Intense stuff!"

"Yeah, he's number one criminal now, most wanted, world's most dangerous frog, you name it, my Papa's done it."

_World's most dangerous frog._

Where had I heard that phrase before?

Then it hit me.

"You don't mean…Constantine?"

The very name sent shivers up my spine. I had never met Constantine, but from the movie I knew that my mum and dad had. And that didn't go well.

Topaz nodded. "Yep, that's my Papa," he said. "I hero-worship him, he's truly inspiring, don't you think?"

I just about nodded. Inside I was thinking _No, no, no!_ But I didn't want to get on the wrong side of Topaz. He was a fierce guy.

"So, that's my story, now tell me, who are you?" Topaz asked.

"Well," I said. "I'm Jasmine…Kermit the Frog's daughter."

Topaz immediately scoffed in disgust. "How I detest that frog!"

I was taken aback. "What? Why?"

"He threw my Papa in jail! He stuck his nose in and messed up _all_ of his plans…_our_ plans."

"But you're dad's a criminal, he deserved it."

Topaz suddenly lashed out and threw me against a wall, similar to the way I had in the shop.

"How _dare_ you! My Papa never did anything wrong! _Anything_! And now thanks to _your_ dad, I'm all alone. Do you have any idea what it's like when Papa's in jail?"

I shook my head, I had no idea.

"It's horrible. So lonely and frightening, you wonder if anyone cares a jot about you. So many people turn away in disgust just because of what my Papa does. But why does it matter?"

Topaz got off me and turned his face away in shame.

"It's not that I don't love my Papa, I love him more than anyone else in the world, but I wish his reputation didn't have to affect me so much."

I didn't really know what to say.

"What about your mother?" I asked.

"I haven't got one, why does it matter?" Topaz said with a sigh. "She ran off a couple of years ago. That's mostly why Papa does the things he does."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he's a criminal, isn't he? A thief. He blows things up to get rid of his anger. Steals things to drown out his sorrows. It doesn't work, but he does it anyway. Sometimes he gets really angry."

"How angry?"

"_Super_ angry, it's usually only if I bring something up that he doesn't like. Sometimes, I get so scared, I think he's going to smack me one."

"He doesn't, does he?"

"No! Papa may be a bad frog, but he's a good dad. He'd never hurt me."

But Topaz looked unsure. I glanced at the scar under his left eye; it was a T shape, appropriate for his name.

I was not convinced.

"Why does it matter, anyway?"

"Why do you keep saying that?" I asked. "Is it like your blooming catchphrase or something?"

"Why does that matter?"

I grinned, hoping this is a joke. Thankfully, it was.

"Honestly though," he said. "I think it's a better catchphrase than my Papa's."

"What's that then?"

"'Who cares'."

"Well…" I thought for a moment. "I don't care, and why does that matter?"

Topaz laughed. I felt so proud that I had made him laugh. I liked Topaz…a lot.

"I wish I had a catchphrase," I said.

"Well, if you ask me, your catchphrase would be 'Now tell me your entire life story'. But-"

"Why does it matter?" we both said in unison and roared with laughter.

We were in the park by this point. Topaz sat on one of the swings and gently swung back and fourth, kicking up his heels. I did likewise.

We talked for a while, but soon my tummy started growling as I remembered that I didn't actually bought anything from the shop.

"Man, I'm starving," I said.

"Say no more," Topaz said with a grin. He was eying a picnic some little five-year-olds were having.

"No, Topaz," I pleaded. "Don't nick it, not from them."

He shook his head. "Nah, alright. I'll use my other tactic, the guilt trick!"

"What's the guilt trick?"

"To put it simply, you beg people for money."

I didn't approve, but it was better than stealing.

Topaz scanned the park for a good person, then he gave a laugh.

"Who's that stupid toff over there? He's perfect."

I looked to see where he was pointing.

There was a pig trying desperately to look cool in black jeans and failing. He had bright green eyes and a mop of unruly, curly blond hair.

I knew that pig.

"That's my brother," I said.

"Ah."

Poor Axel. He always tried so hard to be cool, but he took after Mum. While I was more down to earth like Dad, Axel was a fussy perfectionist who practically hated the outside. Ironic considering his species.

Even now as he was walking over to us, he picked his way through the litter dropped on the ground by little kids, a look of disgust on his face.

"Alright?" said Topaz slowing down his swinging in an effort to look casual. "Who are you?"

"Who are _you_?" Axel retorted.

"I asked first."

Axel crossed his arms. "I'm Axel," he said. "Jasmine's brother."

"Topaz," Topaz declared. "Couldn't spare any change, could you?"

"Not to you," Axel said disapprovingly. He turned to me. "Come on, home."

"Who are you? My baby-sitter?" I declared.

"No, I'm the poor kid who Dad sent out to try and find you. Do you know you've been gone nearly half and hour?"

"Oh big deal," I said, but I obediently got off the swing.

I looked at Topaz. "Will I see you again?" I asked.

He nodded. "You can be sure of that," he said.

I felt a warm glow inside.

**Sorry it was so long, I got carried away because these two are so cute together!**


	3. A Lot of Disagreements

**This story has spoilers for 'What's Changed', but they only start abooooout, now.**

"What did you think you were doing?" Axel asked sternly.

"What do you mean?" I asked hurrying alongside him.

When Axel was mad, he always strode along extremely quickly and I had to run to catch up.

"I mean hanging around with that guttersnipe."

Usually, I would have made fun of him for copying one of Mum's phrases, but right then, I didn't feel like laughing.

"He is _not_ a guttersnipe," I snapped. "He's a poor homeless kid and he needed some company."

"Where'd you meet him?"

"In the shop."

"Nicking things I suppose. So he's a thief."

"So what? I _told_ you, he's on the streets, he can't afford to do anything else."

"Where are his parents? Dead?"

"No, they're…away."

"In jail I suppose, just like their son should be."

Suddenly, I snapped.

"Look, he can't help it if he'd Constantine's son! He's just a kid, cut him some slack already!"

There was a silence.

"He's _Constantine's _son?"

Oops.

"Not Constantine, the one that _kidnapped_ Dad, and nearly _killed _Mum?!"

I shrugged.

"Jas, what are you _doing_?"

"Nothing, it's not like its Constantine _himself_, it's just his son. Why does it matter?"

I grinned at the fact that I had picked up Topaz's catchphrase.

"Wipe that smirk off your face!" Axel demanded sounding about seventy. "What _is_ Dad going to say?"

I shivered, that was a point. Dad would most likely flip his nut well not if I could help it.

I seized Axel by his t-shirt.

"Dad's not going to say anything, because you're under _no_ circumstances going to tell him," I snapped. "Understand?"

"You can't threaten me! I'm four years older than you!"

"So? Am I supposed to look up to you? Do whatever you say?"

"Yes! I'm your older brother!"

"You don't act like it! You're acting like a blooming prison guard, now leave me alone!"

"No way! You'll do what _I_ say now, or else!"

"Alright, I'll do what you say…_if_ you can beat me at a fist-fight!"

"What?"

"Come on tough guy! Fight me!"

I (quite literally because I'm a frog) hopped around with my fists up, insistent on settling everything violently.

"No, I don't do that sort of thing," Axel said firmly.

"Wimp!" I yelled after him. "You're such a wuss; you couldn't even keep up enough of a fight to stop your precious girlfriend being taken away!"

I was aware that I'd taken it too far, but before I could apologise, Axel punched me so hard in the eye, that my head started reeling.

"You say one more thing about Sapphire, and I swear I'll knock your block off."

"Well, _you_ don't treat Topaz like he's dirt!"

"He _is_ dirt."

So I hit him back. I hit him again and again.

Soon, Axel's nose was bleeding, his shirt was ripped, and he had bruises around his neck and on his chin. (I wasn't tall enough to reach his face)

I had a black eye where he had socked me one, my lip was bleeding, and I thought my arm might have been too.

I'd picked a bad opponent. Axel had Mum's brute strength, and easily bashed me up. It was obvious who'd won.

Still, the fight wasn't over yet. As Axel shoved me against a wall by my wrists, I wriggled hard to get one hand free. Meanwhile, I kicked him hard on the shins several times.

I didn't realise which wall we were against, until I heard a distant shouting. The shouting sounded familiar, and after Axel looked up to see who it was, he got off me sharpish, looking guilty.

"Hey, Jasmine! Axel! What are you two doing?"

It was Uncle Fozzie.

Uncle Fozzie wasn't my real uncle; he was just my dad's best friend. Hence why Axel didn't call him uncle, he didn't go a bundle on the whole 'Muppets are family' thing.

Uncle Fozzie looked threatening because he was a bear, but in actuality, he was about as un-scary as you can get. Still, I looked down at the ground sheepishly, because I knew he'd report our fight straight to Dad.

"Have you two been fighting?" Uncle Fozzie asked.

"No," Axel said wiping his nose and smearing blood all over his hand.

"Yuck," I said.

"You're not exactly a pretty sight either," Axel retorted.

"And who's that thanks to?" I replied.

So we were back to bickering. Poor Uncle Fozzie was ignored completely, as Axel and I continued to yell at each other.

"You're not going to tell Dad a _word_ about what happened, until _I_ tell him _why_ I gave you a black eye," Axel declared.

"That's not all you're going to tell him, is it?" I roared. "If you breathe a word about Topaz to _anyone_, you're dead."

"It's not _me_ who will be dead if you continue to keep seeing that disgusting street urchin."

"HE'S NOT A STREET URCHIN!"

Axel knew he'd said enough. He slowly walked away into the Theatre.

"Fine!" I yelled. "Go! See if I care! But the next time I see you, you're dead!"

It was pointless, whether Axel could hear me or not didn't change the fact that he wasn't listening.

He was going to tell Dad.

I was done for.


	4. Family Problems

**I has news! Good news for me, but kinda bad for you guys. You see, I'm going on holiday to Devon tomorrow, and because of how much I procrastinate, this is almost definitely going to be the last thing I write before Friday when I come back.**

One thing I've never understood is, if I was born to two hard-working, determined parents, why I was so lazy.

It was 10:00am and I was the only one still (relatively) asleep in the whole Theatre. I could tell because of the immense amount of noise coming from downstairs, this however was perfectly normal.

I tried hard to get to sleep despite the noise, but soon I heard someone calling my name.

"Jasmine? Jasmine, there's someone here who wants to see you."

It was Gonzo. (OK, so I drew the line at calling _him_ uncle)

"Who is it?" I mumbled, still half asleep.

"I don't know his name," Gonzo said coming into my room (quite uninvited!) "But he's a frog, a Russian frog, with a scar right here."

Gonzo pointed to underneath his eye.

I sat up straight. "You don't mean Topaz?" I said.

Gonzo just shrugged. "Why don't you come and find out for yourself?"

So I did. But as I made my way down the stairs, I could hear that someone had gotten there before me.

"_Oh no, you're not coming in here, not if I can help it,_" I heard someone declare. "_You're just going to wreak havoc, I know it._"

"_Listen,_" a different voice said. "_I don't mean any harm, really. I just want to see Jasmine. Why does it matter?_"

Oh God.

I rushed downstairs and saw my prediction play itself out. Axel and Topaz were arguing.

My first thought was surprised joy. Topaz had come back! After he promised he would.

But of course, my stupid brother had started meddling

"Axel, _what_ is going on?" I asked.

"Ask this guy," he replied giving Topaz a sharp push.

"I only came here because I wanted to see you," Topaz said. "But I can see I'm not wanted." He glared at Axel with a disgusted look on his face.

"Yeah, too right you're not you scumbag," Axel announced.

"Axel!" I snapped. "No, Topaz, wait!"

But we were interrupted by someone else coming down the stairs.

"What is going on here?"

Dad came down the stairs, but stopped short when he saw Topaz. I heard him take a sharp intake of breath.

"Dad," I said. "Before you say anything, I can explain-"

"It's him!" Axel cut in, pointing an accusing finger at Topaz. "Constantine's son!"

"Wha-? How did you know that?" Topaz looked angry, but not at Axel, at me.

"How many people have you told?" he asked me.

"Well, I-I didn't mean to…it-it just sort of slipped out-"

"I trusted you."

That statement crushed me. How could I have told anyone? I couldn't blame Topaz for wanting to keep it under wraps. And I'd told the world.

Stupid blabbermouth. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"I'm gonna go," Topaz said. "It's clear you're too good for me, with your fancy theatre, and you're family that actually give a stuff about you. Why do I matter? See you around, frog."

"No, Topaz!"

"Word of advice," he said. "On the street, no-one cares who your family are. It's every frog for himself."

As soon as he'd gone, I gave Axel a fierce shove into the wall.

"Look what you've done!" I shouted.

"I only did it to protect you," Axel defended.

"From what? Why can't you see that Topaz isn't who you think he is?!" I turned to Dad. "And _you_. You're just as bad as him because you didn't do anything."

"Jasmine, I-"

But I didn't want to hear it.

"What's the matter with you? You can't seriously be afraid of him?"

This was meant partly as a joke, but Dad's expression was not what I anticipated.

"Dad! He's _half_ your age!"

"I'm not scared for me," he said. "I just don't know what he's going to do to _you_."

"You don't know him! You don't know anything about him!"

I looked towards the door, which was still wide open.

"I'm going after him," I declared.

"Oh no you're-"

"And you _can't _stop me!"

I shoved off Axel's attempts to hold me back (both metaphorically and literally) and stormed out the door.

**Ooh, intense. Going to split this chapter into two parts so that it's not too long. Have a good Easter and I'll see you soon. xx**


	5. The Painful Truth

"Topaz! Topaz, wait!" I called after him.

I peered around in desperation. Topaz was nowhere.

"I'm sorry!" I said. "I'm really sorry. If there's anything I can do…?"

In the distance, I saw a flash of green.

"Topaz!"

He heard me and ran faster. I ran after him and when I was close enough, I double-front-flipped straight over him and landed in front, breathing hard.

"Just hear me out," I said. "If no-one on the street cares who my family is, why do you?"

"Why do you think?" Topaz snapped. "They were the ones who threw me out of your fancy theatre."

"Topaz, please, be reasonable," I said.

He ignored me.

"So my folks were a bit nasty," I said. "So what? It's not my fault."

"It's your fault that they knew in the first place," Topaz said. "You really don't get it, do you?"

"Topaz, don't do this to me, please!" I begged. "This happened to my dad once, he made one little mistake and my mum flew into a temper and they split up and didn't see each other for twenty years. But they got back together, and you know why? Because they love each other!"

"Love doesn't exist!"

I felt like someone had taken my heart and smashed it with a hammer. He couldn't really mean it, could he? Mum and Dad _did_ love each other, didn't they? And what about Axel and his girlfriend Sapphire? And Walter and Jinx? And Gonzo and Camilla?

"That's what Papa's always taught me," Topaz said. "He said that the day he met my Mama was the biggest mistake he ever made. Love doesn't exist, and if it does, it only ever ends in disaster."

He must have seen my tears, because he stared guiltily down at the floor.

"But I think Papa may have been mistaken on that front," he said. "I'm sorry I said all that stuff and got mad at you."

I sighed, relieved. "It's fine," I said wiping away my tears.

"Jas, since I hate talking about me so much, can we talk about you?"

I nodded. "Sure, but you're in for an earful!" I declared.

So Topaz and I strolled along the road to nowhere, while I told him my life story.

"Well, you're not the only one with parental problems. Years ago, before my brother and I were born, our Mum and Dad used to argue _a lot_. And I'm talking every other day, proper full-on yelling at each other. (I know because I've seen the movies) It was because my mum was overly affectionate, and sometimes desperate for attention, whereas my dad was really not a fan of the whole romantic idea.

"Now that Axel and I have been born, they're a bit better at keeping their tempers. But some days are awful. Often it gets to the point where Axel and I just run out of the Theatre, because there's really nothing worse than the sound of your two parents yelling at each other like enemies.

"I suppose that I do love my dad, and my mum. And my brother Axel always looks out for me, and takes care of me like an older brother should. But I hate it when people think that just because all of the members in my family are still alive and live under the same roof, that life is perfect and normal. Trust me; my life is anything but normal."

"Are your parents still married?" Topaz asked.

I shrugged. "Sorta," I said vaguely. "You see, they never really got married in the first place. I mean there was the time that Mum tricked Dad into marrying her by making him think it was part of the show. But Dad and I don't like to think about that."

"Why not?"

"Don't ask. It was a disaster, let's put it at that."

"Oh, OK."

There was an awkward silence.

"Topaz," I said. "Can I ask you something?"

He shrugged. "I guess."

"How did you get that scar?"

He looked shocked. "I've never told anyone about that," he said.

"Well I'm not 'anyone'," I said. "I'm-"

"Yeah, yeah, Jasmine, daughter of Kermit. I know. Kind of full of yourself, aren't you?"

"Yep," I said proudly. "Now are you going to tell me about that scar?"

He sighed. "You're nosey too. Alright, if I tell you how I got the scar, can we shut up about my life?"

"It's a deal.

"Well, something you need to know before I begin is that on the street, we have a little rule. Once you're ten, you get a knife. And once you're twenty and no younger, you get a gun. Once you're thirty you can get whatever you want, but that's our rule. So, being fourteen, I have a knife that my Papa gave me a few years ago. It's my prized possession. But anyway, this knife was the weapon that caused the scar."

He got a pocket knife out of his jacket pocket and showed it to me. The handle was shamrock green **(Look it up)** and the blade looked sharp, despite it being rusty and dirty. On the handle, it had three letters in silver. T t F

"I'll just cut to the chase." Topaz flicked the knife shut and put it back in his pocket. "My Papa did it. It was on the night that Mama left, I was about eleven and I was too young to understand about Ma and Pa fighting so much. To this day I'm not so sure what they were arguing about, or why they split up.

"So Papa came in one day looking depressed and tired.

'Where's Mama?' I asked.

He said she had to go.

'Will she ever come back?' I persisted.

'It doesn't look like it,' Papa replied.

'Why not?' I asked, oblivious to dangerous territory. 'Doesn't she love us anymore?'

That was when Papa snapped.

'No, she doesn't love us and she doesn't need us!' he yelled. 'She walked out, and she's not coming back.'

I was shocked.

'But…I need her,' I said.

Papa didn't want to hear it; he wanted to erase Mama from our lives. He lashed out, grabbed my pocket knife and…"

Topaz cut off and put a hand up to his scar.

"I never forgot that day," he said. "I tried to; I tried so hard to wipe it from my memory. But even now, all I can remember is the yell, that searing pain, and the scream. Oh, how I screamed."

"I'm sorry," I said. "I never realised. I thought you just caught it on something."

"I wish," he said sadly.

"Did you…ever forgive your dad?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "I guess so. It took a while but, Papa's all I've got. I had to forgive him eventually. Honestly though, I don't know what to think about Papa, I love him and I hate him and I don't know what to do."

I put my arm around him.

"I know how that feels."

**Aww, cute! Anyways, I am now back from Devon! Hooray! *Party poppers***


	6. In The Doghouse

Dad didn't get over Topaz, neither did Axel. But there was no way I was going to let them win this war.

Topaz and I were great friends, almost best friends. Maybe more than friends…

No! Shut up Jasmine!

_Why? Don't you like Topaz?_

Not like that!

_Why not? It's clear he likes you…_

No it's not.

_Damn, thought I got you._

There were two voices in my head. One of them wanted to go out with Topaz because he was funny, interesting and, a bit hot. (_Nervous giggles_)

But the other half was the one that took over. It told me that if I _did_ ask Topaz out, Dad would blow his top, Topaz would probably turn me down (stardom-girl!) and it would all just end in disaster.

Still, I decided just to stick with being best friends with Topaz, and the rest of the world would just have to put up with it.

**OK, I've tried a million ways to put a new paragraph on here, but it never works! So, I'm just going to write this and you'll have to use your imagination.**

I was seriously in the doghouse when I got back home. I heard Dad say that I was a wilful and disloyal girl. Did I care? He was the one being disloyal. I had always thought of my dad as this amazing, forgiving person who believed in every single person. Now I wasn't so sure.

I mean, I couldn't blame him for not liking Constantine, but this was _not_ Constantine, it was his _son_! What does he want, a real-life version of _Romeo and Juliet_? Because we all know how that ended, now don't we.

**More paragraphisms! Yaaay!**

Uncle Fozzie was acting really weird. I mean _super_ weird. I was just in my room (I'd been grounded after the whole Topaz incident) when Fozzie silently sneaked in.

"Uncle Fozzie?" I said. "What are you-?"

"Shh!" he interrupted.

He looked left, then right, and then left again, then he padded over and handed me a letter.

"This frog told me to give you this letter," he whispered. "And to not tell _anyone_."

"And you've decided to play at being James Bond?" I said seeming unimpressed.

Still, the letter excited me.

It was scribbled messily on the back of a receipt. Still, I treasured it, as I knew exactly who it was from.

_Jasmine,_

_Papa's out!_

_He broke out of that dreaded Gulag yesterday, finally!_

_We're planning a good old-fashioned heist in the museum tonight._

_Come and see me in the park and I'll tell you all._

_If you care._

_See you._

_Topaz._

I knew what I had to do. I leapt up, grabbed my phone and keys and bolted out of the door.

"Hey, Jasmine, wait!"

Oh, for a second I had completely forgotten that Uncle Fozzie was still there.

"Uncle Fozzie, I need a favour," I said. "I've got to go out for a bit, but you can't tell anyone I've gone, _especially_ my dad. If he asks, pretend you know nothing."

I thought for a bit.

"But tell him to send Axel again."

Uncle Fozzie nodded and I dashed out of the door, undetected.

However, I was ignorant enough to leave the letter lying on my bed without realising it, for anyone to read…

**There are a lot of paragraphs in this chapter aren't there?**

"Hiya. I got your letter," I said. "But how did you get it to me? You know what my dad thinks of you."

"Don't remind me," Topaz said.

I was in the park at this point with Topaz, after doing some undercover work of my own and escaping the prison that was, my own home.

"Well, I used those Muppets to my advantage," Topaz said. "You see, I don't know much about them, but I know enough from when Papa told me the story of when he took over your place."

"That was a good movie," I commented.

"Apparently so. Anyway, I got this plan in my head to wait outside your theatre, out of sight, until I saw that dumb bear that had the brains of a gooseberry flan."

"Fozzie," I said. "My Uncle (kinda)."

"Right, I gave him the letter and told him not to tell a soul."

I grinned, remembering Fozzie going all incognito.

"Then, I zipped out, avoiding the mad dog, for he might pull off both my arms."

"That would be Animal," I said. "He lives up to his name, and his reputation."

"Then I waited here and prayed that it would go well."

"Well it sounds to me like it worked," I said. "So anyway, about what it said in the letter-"

"Oh yes!" Topaz interrupted excitedly. "It's true! Papa said he's going to meet me in the museum tonight. Brilliant, huh?"

"Great," I said.

I tried so hard to be excited for Topaz, but I had been raised too well. Robbing and illegal stuff always sent shivers of guilt up my spine.

"Are you nervous?" I asked him.

"Not really," he said. "It's not the first heist I've done with Papa, or on my own. I just can't wait to see him again. Do you know how long he's been in that Gulag?"

I shrugged.

"Two years."

I imagined being away from my dad for that long. Wow, no wonder Topaz was so eager about tonight.

"The only thing is…" Topaz's grin faded as he gazed down at the grass. "I'm just worried in case it doesn't go well. You know what Papa's like, what if it ends in disaster?"

"It won't," I assured him. "Your dad will be delighted to see you after all this time," I said. "Trust me."

"I guess," he said. "But wish me luck?"

Before I could reply, guess who came charging towards us, enraged and yelling that I was a mischief-making minx.

A rascal, a nuisance, a meddler, a weasel. Bla, bla, bla.

Needless to say that my brother wasn't exactly delighted with me.

At last, he'd reached the end of his tether.

"Why can you not follow any rules or instructions?" he exploded.

I shrugged.

"Because the rules are stupid," Topaz said.

Axel and I stared at him.

Topaz crossed his arms. "So your dad doesn't like me much," he said. "And neither do you. Charming. But let me ask you something. Why does that have to affect Jasmine?"

Topaz wasn't the crazy, out-of-control person that Axel thought he was. He spoke calmly and didn't jump to any conclusions.

And yet Axel can be_ really_ dense sometimes. There was nothing Topaz or I could have done to make him realise that.

"Listen to me you little tyke," Axel hissed grabbing Topaz by the collar of his jacket. "You have been shouted at, you have been banned from our theatre, you have been banned from ever seeing Jasmine and yet you keep coming back. Why? What do I have to do, to keep you away from my sister?"

Topaz said nothing.

"Tell me!"

Topaz still said nothing.

"You know what," Axel said, throwing Topaz down in annoyance. "Why am I even trying to reason with you? You're just a pathetic, dirty beggar."

Topaz cleared his throat, and in a very calm voice said. "If you ask me, _you're _the one who's yelling at me, _you're _the one who refusing to reason or even listen to me. Maybe it's _you _who shouldn't be trying to talk to _me_."

That did it.

Before I knew it, Axel and Topaz were fighting.

And I mean _proper_ fighting, with full blows and everything. Topaz very nearly broke his jaw and Axel's wrist went all funny.

I circled around them in desperation. I didn't know what to do. My best friend verses my brother, who should I root for? Who should I back-up? Who should I protect?

Suddenly, I saw a flash of silver and remembered Topaz's pocket knife. I knew what I had to do and with a great shriek, I gave Topaz a shove and we landed in a heap on the grass.

As I looked up, I saw Axel staring at his arm, a look of horror on his face.

I scrambled to my feet and saw a scarlet cut on Axel's arm, and not a trivial, minor one either.

"Axel," Topaz said desperately. "Before you say anything, I can explain. It was an accident, I didn't mean to! I…I…"

"You're a monster," Axel declared coldly. "Someone could have been killed."

He grabbed me by the shoulder and marched me off.

As I turned around and saw Topaz looking stunned, I wondered if I'd ever see him again. Not if Axel or Dad could help it.

"Good luck with your dad!" I yelled to Topaz. "Heaven knows he can't be as angry as my dad will be when I get home!"

**This chapter is dedicated to my best friend in the world, Beth. I know she won't read this because she hates Muppets (!) but I just want her to know that we'll always be together, no matter who stands in our way.**


	7. Strange Nightime Happenings

Dad had called Topaz a murderer. Axel had called him a monster. At the time I had fought for Topaz's case because I thought that Dad and Axel were being unreasonable, but as I lay in my bed in the middle of the night, I re-played the scene in my head. Was Topaz a murderer? He hadn't killed anyone, but he'd tried to. If it weren't for me, he would have stabbed Axel and killed him.

Topaz nearly killed Axel?! Axel, my brother who had loved me and taken care of me all my life. Whether I had wanted him to or not, Axel had always been there to make sure I was staying out of trouble. And I was backing the guy who nearly stabbed him? What was I thinking?!

But as I lay there, trying to force myself to hate Topaz, I found to my dismay that I couldn't. It was impossible. Topaz was the best friend I'd ever had. The only friend I'd ever had. I found it pretty hard to make friends, and to find someone just out of nowhere, who I could insult, interrogate and betray and he'd still stick around. That was rare.

My headache from all of these thoughts was interrupted by the sound of rustling sheets from the other side of the room. Axel slipped out of bed quietly (not quite silently) and glanced over his shoulder.

I pretended to be asleep, and once his back was turned, I silently slid out of my bed and followed him.

Axel knocked softly on Mum and Dad's door.

"Dad," he whispered. "It's time."

Dad appeared looking tired and anxious.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. "It'll be dangerous."

Dad glanced at Axel's now bandaged arm. Axel saw and hid it behind his back.

"It'll be worth it just to catch that scumbag," Axel said. "Imagine the glory!"

I shivered. Scumbag? The glory? This didn't look good. I knew what they were going to do and I had to stop them. But I couldn't do it alone.

Previously, Topaz had stolen a phone especially, just so that I could have his number. (Although he kept getting weird texts from someone demanding to hear from someone called Theresa.) I got out my mobile and tapped out a text.

_Dad and Axel are acting weird. I'm gonna follow them, you coming? I need a mate._

Soon enough, I got a reply.

_Meet me in the park. I'll be there._

I felt another thrill of excitement at his loyalty, but I knew now was not the time to get carried away. I had to be serious.

**Paragraphness!**

Topaz didn't let me down, I knew he wouldn't. We hid in an intimate place and spied on Dad and Axel.

"They're going into the museum," I said. "Weren't you supposed to be going there tonight?"

"Papa cancelled on me," Topaz replied looking disappointed. "He was acting kinda funny too."

"Topaz please," I said. "I know what you think of Dad and Axel right now, and I don't blame you, but they're still my family, and I need your help to make sure they don't come to a sticky end."

Topaz shrugged. "Alright," he said. "Just tell me what needs doing."

**This chapter is super short simply because the next one is super long and super AWESOME so I'm excited to get onto that. Laters!**


	8. The Good, The Bad and The Undecided

So Topaz and I followed Dad and Axel into the museum. We ran in silently and hid behind a statue.

We saw Dad and Axel look about in confusion.

"He's not here," Dad said. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"Sure, I'm sure," Axel replied.

I knew who they were waiting for. Topaz knew too. But was he going to show up?

Right on cue, a figure appeared out of the shadows.

He was a green frog with a mole on one side of his face. His mouth curved into a disapproving snarl.

He looked started when he first saw Dad and Axel, but then he smirked.

"Well, well," his Russian-accented voice hissed. "I wasn't expecting company tonight."

"Constantine," Dad said and I whispered it too at the same time.

Before I knew what I was doing, I clutched Topaz's hand tight.

"Alright," Constantine said. "What's the deal? Come to try and stop my genius plan? Because I can't imagine that would end very well."

"Oh, no," Dad said. "Quite frankly I couldn't care less about your thieving habits. I'm just worried about your boy."

"Topaz?" Constantine said.

"Yes, your boy and my girl have been getting a little too close for comfort."

"That boy's been associating with good guys? I'll whip him within an inch of his life."

I felt Topaz tense beside me, his grip tighten.

"I don't care what you do to your boy," Dad said. "But you're not going to hurt my girl. No way."

I was impressed. The face that Dad was risking his neck for me filled me with pride.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Constantine snarled. "If you're not careful, it won't be your girl who gets into trouble. It will be you."

Constantine produced a gun.

"Dad!" Axel called in a panic.

Dad looked pretty terrified too.

"And the boy too!" Constantine threatened.

"Axel, you'd better get out of here," Dad said.

"But-"

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

That did it.

I wrenched away from Topaz and darted out into the open.

"Who's there?"

"Jasmine?"

"Oh, Jas, what have you done now?"

The gun didn't go off, I hadn't saved anyone.

I found myself at gunpoint.

"Well, well. It's Jasmine isn't it?" Constantine said. "I don't believe we've met. Allow me to introduce myself; I'm the guy who's going to cause a lot of trouble if what you say doesn't please me."

I was trembling all over, more terrified than I had ever been in my life.

"P-please C-Constantine," I squeaked. "I-I don't mean any harm, I'm j-just a little f-frog. I j-jumped out on impulse because I d-didn't want my d-dad to get sh-shot."

"Ah yes, your father is Kermit, is he not?"

"Y-yes, he is."

Constantine shot Dad a look. "The nosey frog should keep out of other people's business."

Dad said nothing. He was trembling as well, eyes wide with fear.

"However," Constantine continued. "I am not concerned about the likes of your father. I am more bothered about you."

"M-me?"

"Yes, you and what you've been doing with my son.

Oh shoot.

When I made friends with Topaz, I never expected this to happen.

"Don't be afraid, Jasmine," Constantine said in a voice that made me even more terrified. "I just want to ask you a few questions, okay?"

"O-OK."

"You are what's known as a good guy, yes?"

"Y-yes."

"And I am I bad guy, no?"

"Y-yes."

"Well what do you think Topaz is? A good guy? Or a bad guy?"

"I-I don't know."

"Oh really? Wouldn't you consider a homeless street-boy with a criminal father a bad guy? After all, he was breaking the law when you met him."

True. OK, I decided to go along with what Constantine was saying. I might've hurt Topaz's feelings, but I'd much rather upset him than a guy with a gun.

"O-OK, he's a bad guy."

I heard a sigh come from where the statue was.

I had upset Topaz. Great.

"Now answer me another question. Are you trying to turn Topaz into a good guy?"

This sounded scarily threatening.

"N-no."

"Oh really? Then may I ask what you are doing being such close friends with a bad guy?"

"Oh, I can't watch!" Axel whimpered burying his face in Dad's chest.

"Answer the question, Jasmine," Constantine said firmly.

"W-well, I thought that T-Topaz n-needed a f-friend. H-he was all a-alone."

"And the fact that I'm his father didn't put you off?"

"N-not much."

"I see. Well you want to help Topaz don't you?"

"Yes…" I said uncertainly.

"Well maybe there's something you can do."

"What is it?"

"Get out of his life."

"I-I don't know if I can."

There was a silence. Constantine looked like I'd just slapped him.

"What?"

"I…I won't! Topaz's the best friend I've ever had! And I'm not going to let _you_ tear us apart!"

"That is the most ludicrous, ridiculous, stupid, nonsensical-"

"_It's true, though, isn't it_?"

"Topaz?" Constantine said. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" Topaz snapped. "I'm tired of you controlling everything I do, Papa. I don't want to be evil!"

At first Constantine said nothing. He seethed silently, looking daggers at Topaz.

Finally, he said. "I'll make you pay, boy."

He turned to me, loaded up his gun and pointed it straight at me.

"Any last words, frog?"

"No, Papa, please!" Topaz begged.

I looked at Dad and Axel. Axel was sobbing bitterly. Dad was crying too, silent tears sliding down his face. I didn't know which was worse.

"I'm sorry, Dad," I said.

Then I covered my eyes and waited.

All of a sudden, there was a tremendous BANG!

I heard a yell, and someone shouted 'NO!'

And although I couldn't see much, through the gap between my fingers, I caught a glimpse of green.

I felt nothing.

After the commotion was over, I slowly opened my eyes and gave a great shriek.

Topaz.

Topaz was the reason I hadn't felt anything.

Topaz was the reason I was still alive.

Topaz had saved my life.

Topaz was dying before my eyes.

I dropped to my knees.

"Topaz? Topaz!"

I clutched his hand.

"Please, Topaz."

Suddenly, he twitched, and his eyes darted to look up at me.

"Jas-Jasmine," he murmured. "Are you hurt?"

My heart wrenched. Topaz may have only had minutes left, but he still cared about me.

"No," I said. "But…you…Oh, Topaz, what have you done?"

"I had to," Topaz insisted. "You had everything going for you. Your family, your home. No-one would miss a little street-kid."

"I will," I said as a tear ran down my cheek.

"I'm sorry," Topaz said quietly. "Jas, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Did you really mean it earlier when you said I was a bad guy?"

I shook my head. "Of course not," I insisted. "You saved my life, you're a hero."

"A hero," Topaz repeated. He smiled at me, though there were tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Jas."

But before I could return the comment, I felt him go limp and I knew I'd lost him.

"No, Topie!" I cried harder, throwing my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest, not caring a jot if I got blood on my face. "It's not meant to end like this!"

I wept for a while, overcome by the pain of my heart breaking. I gently stroked the T-shaped scar on his cheek, tracing the shape, but that made me think of something.

I looked up at Dad, then at Axel, and then at _him_.

Constantine.

Constantine was the one who had caused all of this.

Constantine was the guy with the gun.

Constantine had killed Topaz.

I leapt to my feet.

"You!" I roared. "This is all _your_ fault!"

I tried to lunge towards him, but suddenly, I felt someone's arms tight around me, pulling me back.

"Get _off_ me!" I yelled. "Constantine's a murderer, I need to avenge Topaz!"

"No, you don't. You're my sister and you need to stay out of trouble. I don't want to lose you."

It was Axel.

Axel had seen sense when I had failed to reason.

Axel had stopped me from clobbering the world's most dangerous frog.

Axel had, in a way, saved my life.

"It's not fair, Axie," I whimpered.

"I know it's not," he replied. "Come on, we'd better go."

I seemed to shrink back into a little girl as Axel picked me up and carried me out of the museum.

Behind me though, I could her voices. I turned and saw Dad confronting Constantine.

Dad took Constantine's gun, and threw it to the ground with a clatter. Then, he gave him a hard shove and said: "Why don't you just shove off back to the Gulag where you belong?"


	9. The Death Of A Hero

_I was running. I ran and ran so fast that I didn't know where I was anymore. I was vaguely aware that I was back in the museum, but I didn't have time to look around, I was being chased._

_"__Get back here, frog!" Constantine yelled from behind me._

_I didn't stop running, but I heard a deafening gunshot ring out._

_There was a yelp and I turned to see that Topaz had taken the bullet for me._

_"__Damn, I missed," Constantine said. "Ah, well. Second time lucky."_

_He pointed the gun at me and I screamed…_

And I kept screaming as I awoke, until I was quietened by a familiar voice.

"Hey! Jas, it's OK, it's alright. I'm here."

"Dad?" I said sleepily.

I looked around; I was in my own bed, in my own room. I was safe. However, Topaz wasn't.

"Dad," I said. "What happened last night, with Topaz, was that really real? Or was it all just a horrific nightmare?"

"That was no dream, Jasmine," Dad said softly. "I'm sorry."

I shrugged, though tears welled in my eyes. "The thing that upsets me the most," I said. "Is that I feel like I'm the only one who cares."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Dad argued. "I'm sure that Constantine is in pieces."

"Literally," came a voice from the door.

Axel appeared bearing a newspaper and a mug of tea. He passed the mug of tea to me and I sipped it obediently, though I wasn't really thirsty.

"Constantine sure is in pieces now," Axel said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He tossed the newspaper into my lap and the words: '_Criminal Commits Suicide after Son's Death_' glared at me.

"He blew himself up this morning."

"Oh."

I tried reading the paper, but it brought back too many painful memories.

I pushed it away like a plate of unwanted food and instead looked up at Dad and Axel.

"There goes that family," I said.

"Didn't Topaz have a mum?" Dad asked.

I shook my head and said one word: "Divorce."

That word explained it all.

"I wonder if she knows," Axel said.

"Doubt it," I said. "Topaz hadn't seen his mum since he was eleven."

"But it's all over the papers," Dad pointed out.

The thought of discovering the death of your son and ex-husband through a newspaper brought tears to my eyes again.

Soon, I was weeping.

"I'm sorry, Jas," Axel said. "I know how hard this must be for you."

I shook my head, there was no way he could imagine the pain I was in.

"I…made you something," Axel said.

He shyly pushed a piece of paper towards me, and I peered at it.

Axel was studying to become a tattoo artist, and he would often design tattoos on paper for friends and family. That was what he had done now.

There was one word on the paper, Topaz. The T was designed to look like his scar, as were most of the other letters, but the o was an orangey-yellow gem. A topaz.

"It's amazing," I said.

"_He_ was amazing. I'm so sorry about…everything. I messed up, I was trying to be a responsible big brother and it all went wrong. Can you forgive me?"

Axel was grinning, but he looked like he was about to start crying too.

Ever since I'd met Topaz and him and Axel had fallen out, I'd always backed up Topaz, to the point where it looked like I hated my brother.

This couldn't be further from the truth.

I loved Axel, of course I did. He was my brother, and even though we always fell out, he was always there for me. I just didn't always realise it.

I nodded. "Let's call it quits," I said. "Sorry I was such a pain."

"Hey, that's what little sisters are for," Axel said. "And I got Topaz all wrong. He was a good guy. He lived a criminal but died a hero."

"_My_ hero."

**The End. Aww, so cute! I can't believe I've finished this story, and still got no reviews! Where are you guys? So, leave me a comment, and I will give you hugs. Going to update TDRR sometime soon.**

**Bye!**


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